Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ahhh!!! Love this one so much! Reading Harry Potter as an adult gives you a different perspective than the one from childhood. I found this installment profoundly deep and thought provoking. Despite the dark turn that this series has taken, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

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sunnycollins_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Every time I've tried to read this I have never been able to make it through this book. I think that the length was scary to me as a child and that, along with how Harry acts in the first half of the books, always deterred me from getting anywhere past the half-way point. Now, as an adult, I was determined to get through this book.

1. It's not as long as it looks. Once I picked up this book it didn't take all that long to finish. Reading it on my Kindle definitely helped with that - I could pick it up whenever I had some spare time.

2. Teenager problems. The fact that Harry is fifteen in this book is extremely hard to miss.

He is moody, acting out, and being overly dramatic at every available opportunity.

When I was reading this book around the same age, I found Harry's attitude to be a bit grating. Now, I find it to be petty and unnecessary. I gave the same complaint with this book as I did with the last one:

the trio argue way too often. I feel like it's a bit better in this book because there aren't as many overlapping plot points, but it still got to the point where I was questioning the point of it all. I also, once again, find Harry's lack of communication to be a bit infuriating. We've been through this for five books at this point, just talk to your friends!

3. The Marauders.

I love the look at Hogwarts-aged Marauders and Snape that we get towards the end of the book. The conflict Harry feels about his father and Sirius was really well done, even if it was resolved a bit too quickly (in my opinion).

4. A bit of political intrigue, as a treat. I love the small glimpses of the Ministry of Magic that are scattered throughout the book. One of my favorite things about the HP series is how rich the world feels and how easy it is to be sucked into it.

Seeing Fudge turn against Harry and show his true, paranoid, control-hungry nature was super interesting to me. Watching the power he gave Umbridge over the school, all in the name of ridding Dumbledore of his status was a wild twist that I wasn't expecting but really really enjoyed. </spoilers> I really hope that type of political side drama continues in the next books.

Overall, I had a great time reading the last 50% of this book. It gets off to a slow start but, in the end, it feels like it was a worthwhile read. I'm excited to continue the series!

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jelliestars's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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meganders22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with this book. Usually I can’t stand the teen angst from Harry, and his numerous teenage problems, but this time I understood it better. I had forgotten just how much the other students at Hogwarts are featured in this particular book—the DA, Quidditch, Hogsmeade, etc. I have to admit I enjoyed this listening more than I thought I would.

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